


Dreams, Meet Reality

by CatrinaSL



Series: Three Things [61]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Day At The Beach, F/M, Hawkeye's Favorite Beach Chair, Mike and Ikes, Misunderstandings, Professional Moment Ruiner Clint Barton, SHIP DARCY LEWIS WITH ALL THE THINGS, Scientist Wrangler Darcy Lewis, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Sunscreen, Three Things, Throwing Things at Clint, Wenis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-06 22:19:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13420785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatrinaSL/pseuds/CatrinaSL
Summary: Darcy's dreams don't come true, but reality's not so bad.





	Dreams, Meet Reality

**Author's Note:**

  * For [inkednina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkednina/gifts), [HKThauer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HKThauer/gifts).



> inkednina prompted Mike and Ike’s, Wenis, Hawkeye’s favorite beach chair.
> 
> Thanks to HKThauer for allowing me to abscond with her dream; this was as close to reality as I could get! ♥
> 
> Soulmate AU Reminder: Everyone has a Soulmark, a tattoo of the first words their Soulmate will say to them. Showing someone else your Soulmark is like baring your soul to them, so most people only show their Soulmate or very trusted friends.

Darcy's first meeting with her Soulmate wasn't the dramatically romantic scene she hoped it would be. With Words like hers, she did a lot of daydreaming.  _ Anything _ could happen with a generic Soulmark, and so Darcy spent a lot of her time exercising her imagination. When it finally did happen, she wasn't even aware.

It was a bit weird working alongside actual superheroes every day, but Jane was probably right about Avengers Tower being the best place for them after the whole Dark Elf/holes in the universe situation. And Darcy got used to being around that much pretty little by little. She snarked with Tony, did riddles with Bruce, constantly sniped Clint with various pieces of candy, did Tai Chi with Natasha, and gave pop culture lessons to Bucky and Steve.

If she was honest, it was more fun hanging out with Steve if Bucky was around. It wasn't that she didn't like him, it was just that she was pretty sure Steve disapproved of her. Darcy tried not to let it bother her and laughed with Bucky anyway.

She gave them a comprehensive fashion overview of the decades they missed (mostly they just watched a lot of those "X years of fashion in X minutes" videos on youtube), was constantly updating them on slang, and loved seeing the looks on their faces (well, Bucky's face) whenever she brought them some new and different uniquely New York takeout to try.

In addition to the super soldier hangouts, Darcy enjoyed her friendship with the Avengers. It was a connection with a lot of perks, one of them being Tony "MoneyBags Beach House" Stark.

"When my last boss went on vacation, he left the brown noser in charge and we all had to work ten times harder than usual so they'd be able to give him a good report when he got back," Darcy told Bucky as they sat on a tropical beach on Tony's private island.

"Vacation wasn't really a thing back in the day," Bucky said, leaning back to chuck Mike and Ike's one by one at the lounge chair that Clint was snoozing in.

"Please enjoy the improvements of the twentieth century," Darcy told him, settling her sunglasses on her face and holding out her hand for the candy. Bucky poured a handful into it, and Darcy popped one into her mouth before tossing another at the passed out archer. It bounced off one of his ridiculous arms, and Darcy smiled.

"Did you finish with the sunscreen?" Bucky asked as Steve came to join them. He was infuriatingly wearing a white t-shirt with his swimming trunks, cutting down on the eye candy Darcy was hoping to enjoy.

"Ooh, good call," Darcy said, dumping the rest of the actual candy in her mouth and grabbing the spf 30. "Don't wanna forget the wenis."

Bucky laughed, choking on a Mike and Ike and eventually leaning over onto Steve in his mirth. "The...  _ what _ ?" he managed to say.

"Wenis," Darcy repeated. "More slang. It just means—" She pointed to the tip of her elbow as she rubbed sunscreen on her arm.

Steve looked scandalized, so Darcy laughed.

"How do you spell that?" Bucky giggled.

Darcy leaned over and traced the letters into the sand with the bottle of sunscreen. Bucky examined them, his laughter winding down.

"What is it?" Darcy asked.

Bucky shook his head, a confused frown threatening to banish his smile. Then he shrugged and stood. "I'm gonna hit the water," he decided suddenly.

"Okay," Darcy said, even though she would rather have asked what his deal was. "I'll join you a soon as I'm finished here."

He ran off, and of course that's when Darcy realized she'd need help getting sunscreen on her back. 

She didn't want to ask Steve because he still seemed annoyed about the whole 'wenis' thing, so she lobbed another Mike and Ike at Clint. It bounced off his leg, and he turned over (which was probably good for the tan he wasn't trying to get, but didn't help her any).

"Mind if I ask you something, Miss Lewis?" Steve said.

Darcy sighed and sat up, reaching around to do a crappy job of putting sunscreen on her lower back. "I've said this before and I'll probably say it again, Steve: if you're not going to call me Darcy, please use my official title. 'Uncontested Lab Mistress Lewis, Taser Queen and Secret Badass, Scientists and Gods Cower Before Her.'"

Steve cracked a smile, which was the best she could hope for with him. He did sit up and hold out his hand for the sunscreen, though, so Darcy relinquished it and pulled her ponytail out of the way of her shoulders.

"I was just wondering, do you... are you...? Um..."

"Spit it out, Steve," she said, as he rubbed sunscreen on her neck.

"Are you and Bucky sweethearts?"

Darcy laughed, then realized that probably wasn't an adequate answer. "No," she said, tugging down the strap of her suit to put sunscreen where Steve wouldn't. "We're just bros. I had a boyfriend in high school and dated a couple people in college, but with the whole Soulmate thing, I always ended up ruining whatever relationship because I didn't want to get too attached to anyone. It was better to just be friends. I was always nervous that I'd mess things up with my Soulmate if I was in a relationship when they showed up, y'know? Bucky's great, but... yeah." She turned her head and peeked at him over the top of her sunglasses. "Why do you ask?"

Steve coughed and looked uncomfortable. "I just... thought you might like him, and I... wanted you to know that I support you, whatever you want to do. I want you to be happy."

Darcy blinked at him. "Huh?"

"And if you do decide you want to be with Bucky—or anyone—I'll be fine," Steve continued.

"Time out," she said, stopping him with a hand. "I just gave you a speech about how my Soulmate is the only one for me; why are you trying to foist me on Bucky? Does he have a crush on me or something?"

Steve shook his head. "Not as far as I know."

"Then what's the deal with the 'I'll step aside' speech?"

"I... I'm..."

"I remember now!" Bucky shouted, shoving his hair out of his face as he ran up to them, the pockets of his swim trunks full of water. He came to a halt next to Darcy's spelling lesson and pointed at it. "The 'e'! It's exactly like your Soulmark!"

Darcy turned a confused look on Steve. "What's he talking about?"

Steve took off his shirt in reply.

"Is... that my handwriting?" Darcy asked Steve's abs, where  _ Nice to meet you _ was scrawled.

He nodded, and drew a finger across the small  _ Hey _ on her shoulder.

"It's taken me a long time to get to this point," he told her, his face completely red. "But I can accept you and support you; it's your life, so no matter what you decide—"

"Steve," Bucky interrupted. "Look at her. I don't think she  _ knew _ ."

Steve frowned and looked down at Darcy, who just stared up at him, flabbergasted.

" _ I _ didn't know," Bucky continued. "Why didn't you tell me, punk?"

"Why didn't you tell  _ me _ ?" Darcy asked, finding her voice.

"I... didn't... I thought..."

"I thought you didn't like me," Darcy said. "I thought you just tolerated me because me and Bucky pal around."

"He was being an idiot," Bucky explained. "I'm getting back in the water. You! Apologize to your girl and tell her you're gonna treat her right and  _ talk _ to her when you've got something to say instead of sulking for months." He let out a sigh of disgust and stalked back into the surf.

"I'm sorry," Steve said when he was gone. "I was being stupid. I couldn't remember what I said to you, so I should have realized you didn't know. Are you... can you forgive me?"

Darcy sighed. "I... was really hoping our meeting would be romantic," she confessed. "I spent so much time dreaming about it; I can't believe I missed it."

"Well," Steve said, reaching over to take her hand. "We could start over if you want."

"Uh, all right," Darcy agreed, and nervously shook Steve's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Hey," Steve said, and leaned closer.

"No making out on the beach!" Clint's voice intruded.

"Ugh, you're the worst!" Darcy shouted while Steve threw the entire box of Mike and Ike's in his direction. It hit Clint in the face, and he grumbled his way back into the house and out of their way.

"Sorry," Steve said. "Where were we?"

"Right here," Darcy replied, and kissed him.

**Author's Note:**

> Why do swim trunks take on so much water? Discuss.
> 
> [Prompt a Three Things fic!](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7S2MbkK0CxVHMG3kF8CD6fYqD0zwY-J6MqLb21nmFyRpE4w/viewform)
> 
> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/169895770093/dreams-meet-reality)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


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